This invention relates to a simple system and method for monitoring the operational health of a driveline component. In particular, the system takes a historic record of the differential temperature between the component and the ambient temperature, and looks for increasing temperature differential as evidence of an upcoming failure.
Driveline components are exposed to challenging environmental conditions. A driveline typically includes elements such as the transmission, the axles, etc. The components transmit a high level of torque, and are further subject to challenging environmental conditions.
The components are also typically supplied with a lubricant. The lubricant can become contaminated, or degrade over time. If the lubricant becomes contaminated or degrades, it should be supplemented or replaced.
Various complex systems have been proposed in the past which attempt to evaluate the contamination level of the lubricant and provide a signal when the contamination level exceeds a predetermined maximum. Moreover, systems which simply look for a predetermined trigger temperature have also been utilized. These systems are unduly complex and further do not provide feedback as accurate as would be desired. As an example, the temperature of the component could vary with environmental temperature.
In a disclosed embodiment of this invention, a differential temperature between the ambient and a driveline component is sensed and stored. If that differential temperature changes over time by a predetermined amount, then an indication is made that the component may require lubricant maintenance. Moreover, by looking to the differential temperature, an accurate indication is reached.
The system may be relatively simple and merely compare the differential temperature, regardless of load. Alternatively, a more refined system may look for differential temperatures under similar load conditions. The load condition could be the engine output speed or torque, or other variables such as the injection pressure or the fluid flow rate to the engine.
This simplified system will allow an operator to actively monitor the condition of the driveline components, and will provide an indication when the lubricant requires maintenance.
These and other features of the present invention can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description.